It is all too true that when people move from one house to another they discard cumulations of old letters, bills, receipts, photographs – in short archival material of great value to an historian. Without doubt priests moving to another parish often do the same thing, and anything left behind is probably destroyed when the incoming priest has a tidy-up in his new presbytery.
The absence of material relating to the past has made the writing of this little history difficult, especially in finding written verification of statements made. Additionally the short time available for the necessary research has been a limiting factor in its preparation.
Acknowledgements are made in an appendix to certain sources of information, but of outstanding value has been the microfilm in Watford Reference Library of all the issues of the Watford Observer that have been published, and which often dealt fully with Catholic matters. Reading through these microfilms and making shorthand notes of relevant passages and typing them afterwards has been a slow process and grateful thanks must be recorded to Eileen Tierney for doing this and all the other assistance she has so unstintingly given in the production of this book. Without her help it could not have been produced.
J. E. Wright